


on the inside, you're just scared!"

by vhscassette



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: M/M, Pre-Relationship, dragon ball - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-22
Updated: 2018-10-22
Packaged: 2019-08-05 18:14:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16372601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vhscassette/pseuds/vhscassette
Summary: a short drabble of what yamcha saw that tournament[tien vs cyborg tao fight]





	on the inside, you're just scared!"

"Tien Shinhan is attempting to escort his opponent  _ out _ of the ring!"

 

Krillin giggled, smug in his own right as Yamcha watched. Tien had so much respect for the man who wished him death, pushing his abuser endlessly towards the end of the arena. Yamcha felt the feeling-- a derivative of Stockholm Syndrome, perhaps-- and nearly wanted to push that robot into the god damned earth himself. But, no-- this was Tien's turn.

 

It was, at least, until Tao pulled a knife on him. It cut through the skin one inch deep.

 

The summer heat rang in the silence, Yamcha almost swearing on his dead mother's life that Tao had cut a vein somewhere. Ribs, lungs, Tien could've gotten  _ killed- _ but all it appeared to be was a deep chest wound that began dripping with blood. He could nearly feel the stinging, the ache, and suddenly, the anger.

 

His eyesight suddenly shifted from Tien's bleeding wound to his face.

 

He had never seen anger in those piercing black eyes, those sharpened features, quite as harshly as he did now.

 

All of those empty threats, those same push-down insults-- the ones that trapped Tien for years in his own self-hatred,-- they kept pouring out of Tao's mouth as Tien's anger began building and breaking. He had ripped off his shirt in one complete grip and tear of his hand, his scrap of clothing now lying on the hot cement. Tien was going to break against what had bruised his cheeks and will to live for years on end.

 

Yamcha's heart pounded. 

 

* * *

 

Tien was afraid.

 

Standing there, the entire world around him vivid with the rays of a roaring summer, sky too blue, Yamcha could feel the palpable fear that had remained in his stature. He hated it.

 

He noticed it in every pause of silence, every respectful 'sir' that kept smoothing its way out of Tien's throat, the hesitation in his actions, oh, he  _ knew. _ And even when that knife had cut his skin with the intent to kill but failed, Yamcha  _ still _ felt it! And Tao  _ knew _ it!

 

Yamcha had wanted to kill the man!

 

But he couldn't.

 

It was Tien's turn, Tien's time to protect what was left of him. 

 

Yamcha had seen the blood that dripped down Tien's fingers as he grabbed that blade, the one meant for his pounding heart. He had lost his breath, Tien's life nearly flashing in front of  _ Yamcha's _ eyes, before Tien snapped off that shimmering blade of glass-like iron and throwing it to the side. The blood from his cut hand began to drip onto the cement tile.

 

All Yamcha saw was the anger of a man who had forfeited his childhood.

 

* * *

 

That Super Dodon Ray was going to kill Tien.

 

Unless he could pull something out of his ass-- which Tien tended to, to be fair-- that damn lunatic of a teacher was going to murder his own student. But, honestly, there was something more than that as that ray charged up.

 

"You act tough, but inside, you're just scared!" Tao had taunted. Tien had remained silent, blood on his chest as he stood there.

 

The truth was, Tao was right.

 

Tien  _ was _ scared.

 

As with everything in his life that was forcefully handed to him beforehand, Tien didn't have a choice.

 

Something that Yamcha realized, though, was that something  _ else  _ was burning inside Tien's chest. It was rage, an ultraviolet shade of pity, an ocean of regret rolling inside of him.  _ That _ wasn't a choice either. 

 

It was taken into account that Tien's pure, relentless determination was not a choice. And Mercenary Tao's upcoming ass-kicking wouldn't be one, either.

 

 

* * *

"Tien Shinhan is the winner!" the announcer cried out to the sound of roaring applause. In the moment, Yamcha had  _ just _ the right angle of his face from the entryway.

 

Tien's face was written in shame. Pure, unadulterated shame. 

 

Yamcha felt a strange urge to destroy Mercenary Tao's corpse with many well-timed ki blasts.

 

* * *

 

"That's enough," Yamcha said, putting a hand on Krillin's shoulder as Tien disappeared into the darkness. He wouldn't mention that glimmer on the bottom rim of Tien's eyes. "He needs to be left alone."

 

Tien's silhouette slipped into the shadows of the waiting house before blurring into nothingness.

 

The bravest man he ever knew hid in those shadows, curled up in the wounds that no one could see.

 


End file.
